Daniel Riggs, a former tennis coach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the grandson of former professional tennis player Bobby Riggs, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for engaging in a sexual relationship with two minor females that he coached.
Daniel, 33, pleaded guilty to charges of coercing and enticing the women in question to engage in sexual activity, according to a press release from the Southern District of Florida.
“Children and parents trust coaches with more than athletic instruction. They trust them with safety, guidance, and character,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in the release. “This defendant abused that trust in the most disturbing way imaginable, using his position to groom and sexually exploit the very students he was supposed to mentor.”
Quiñones continued, “Twenty years in federal prison reflects the seriousness of that betrayal. The Southern District of Florida will continue to pursue predators who target children and ensure they face the full weight of the law.”
The allegations against Daniel first surfaced in November 2024 when one of the victims came forward. He was arrested in December 2024 when a team of FBI agents arrived at the Lauderdale Tennis Club, where he worked as a tennis coach for Team Riggs. They took him into custody at the scene as other children and coaches were on the court, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“He admitted guilt because he didn’t want to put the victims through any additional or unnecessary hardship,” defense lawyer Russell Williams told the outlet when the coach pleaded guilty in November.
The incidents occurred between 2020 and 2024, and reportedly included salacious messages and images sent from Daniel to the victims via SnapChat. CBS News reports that Daniel allegedly tried to mask his identity on the app by using anonymous accounts and asking the victims to delete his messages.
The relationship with one of the victims became physical in 2022 on a team trip to Brazil.
Williams initially filed a motion to dismiss the charges, in which he argued that the SnapChat images could not be found, making it impossible to tell if they violated the law. That motion was later withdrawn.
Daniel will now have to register as a sex offender and, upon his release, will not be able to give tennis lessons to minors, per the Sun-Sentinel.
His grandfather, Bobby, is best remembered for losing to Billie Jean King in the famed Battle of the Sexes in 1973. He died in 1995 at age 77.
